


"Tell Me I'm Good."

by Bubbly_Kandy



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)
Genre: Bruce Lies, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Depression, Dick tears up a Bible b/c honestly? Aesthetic, Fluff, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I've been crying over that show for an hour so here we are, Signs Of Oncoming Depression, So., Will Arnett is in Bojack Horseman, dick Grayson is a good kid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-11-04 20:55:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17905469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bubbly_Kandy/pseuds/Bubbly_Kandy
Summary: “Bruce, am I a good kid?”(Or: Will Arnett is Bojack Horseman and that show really Gets Me so here we are)





	"Tell Me I'm Good."

**Author's Note:**

> Based of of the episode "Stupid Piece Of Shit" from Bojack Horseman, and a little bit of "Good Person," also from Bojack Horseman.

When Bruce saw Dick on the porch tearing out pages of the Bible, he knew it was going to be a long, hard night.

Really, it was to be expected- today was difficult. Dick had missed his therapy appointment, sending him in a worried flurry the entire day at school. He had come home early, actually; he had a breakdown in the middle of class, running to the bathroom in tears and then nearly ripping out handfuls of his hair.

Alfred didn't hesitate to pick Dick up early.

Bruce had had a difficult day, too. He woke up that morning with his thoughts being louder than usual, and every time Dick or Alfred were even near an object that could potentially harm them, Bruce would get consumed by ideas of one of them dying a brutal death. 

Dick spent the entire day moping around the manor, dragging his feet where he would usually be on the chandelier. Bruce tried to get out of the hellscape that was his brain and be the dad that Dick needed and give him a Talk, but that ended up being a massive, _massive_ failure.

That was a few hours ago- hopefully the two could work things out, this time.

He slid open the door right as Dick tore out another page, loosely holding it up to the wind until the breeze tore it out of his hand.

“What's this?” Bruce asked, Dick startling and looking up at Bruce with wide, frightened eyes. “Hey, chum, it's okay. I'm not mad, just… why the theatrics?”

Dick smiled lightly, and Bruce could see the silvery remnants of tears on the boys cheeks. Dick pushed his glasses up with his pointer finger, his hands going back onto the book.

“It just…” Dick sighed, tearing out another page of the Bible and throwing it into the wind, the page flying off like a pale waif. “Today, in class…” he hesitated then started his sentence anew. “There's this _voice_. In the back of my head. It always says things like 'hey! Everyone hates you!’ and sometimes…” he nearly tore out another page, instead just letting go of the book entirely and rubbing his hands underneath his glasses. “I feel like it's right.”

Bruce stayed silent, just sitting cross legged beside Dick and letting him talk. He held his hand out for the Bible- Dick handed it over, then Bruce could hear his gasp as he tore out a page of his own, letting the breeze steal it away. They were both quiet, then Dick started talking again, sounding quiet and anxious.

“Bruce, am I a good kid?”

Bruce opened his mouth to speak; he was about to say “yes, of course you're a good kid Dick” but the boy cut him off before he could make a sound.

“I know I'm weird, and I get angry a lot, and I do dumb things like rip up a _Bible,_ but… deep down, am I a good kid? I need- you _have_ to tell me Bruce, _tell_ me I'm a good kid because otherwise-” Dick's voice started shaking, and Bruce could hear the familiar cracks. “Otherwise I feel like I'm only ever gonna the depressed, angry little kid that showed up on your doorstep, and that-”

“You are,” Bruce said firmly, cutting Dick off. “You are a good kid, Richard. Yes, you're weird. Yes, you get angry. Yes, you-” he gestured to the torn up Bible and the pages scattered all over the lawn, Dick laughing lightly. “You do dumb things like this, but you're a _good kid._ Not even deep down- you're a good kid on the surface _._ Understand?”

“Yes, Alfred,” Dick joked, his watery smile falling off his face as he looked away. The two were quiet again; then Dick pushed himself right up against Bruce's side, Bruce putting his arm around him without even thinking about it. “That… voice.” Dick whispered, Bruce having to listen closely to hear him. “The one I was talking about, the one that calls me stupid, or ugly, or gross… it goes away, right? Is it just a preteen slash teenager thing?”

Bruce was quiet. They both reached for the book, tearing out two pages and watching as they floated on the breeze. Then, he lied.

“Yeah. It does.”

**Author's Note:**

> I never thought I'd hear Lego Batman say "fuck" or have a lot of profound ideas about life and depression, but here we are 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this tiny fic!! Please leave a kudos/comment if you did!!!


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